


Awesome

by evanderblake



Series: The Giveaway Project [1]
Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Confession, Cuddling, Cute, Emetophobia, First Date, Fluff, Love Confession, M/M, Mild Angst, One-Shot, Snuggling, Vomiting, Wendy's, cute as fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-08 00:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14093073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evanderblake/pseuds/evanderblake
Summary: Dan and Arin get set up on a blind date, and things don't go as planned.





	Awesome

**Author's Note:**

> This is fic #1 in the Giveaway Series! For @game-of-grump on tumblr!

Suzy was devious.

When Dan had asked her to set him up with someone, he wasn’t expecting the man he stood face-to-face with.

When Arin told her about his crush on Dan, he didn’t expect she’d do anything about it.

And there they were. In the parking lot of Wendy’s.

Dan’s hands were shoved deep in his pockets, his shoulders stiff as he tried to avoid eye contact with Arin. He wasn’t sure what to expect, what with Suzy’s friends all looking similar to her – dark clothes, dark makeup, dark humor – but he certainly wasn’t expecting her own husband. He was all dressed up, too, which was… something. He hadn’t seen Arin without sweatpants or basketball shorts in… ages. Since the Good Game premier, probably. And even then, he wasn’t the definition of “snazzy.”

Arin had convinced himself it was a joke. That Suzy hadn’t actually told Dan it was a date. That Suzy would never do anything like that, especially not to her own husband. But he knew her better than that – of course she would. Dan had psyched himself up, thinking some cute girl would be here waiting for him, thinking that, if anything, at least a girl would be here instead of a man. Arin was just a disappointment. It had to be some sort of prank.

And instead of calling the whole thing off, or instead of him making joke out of it, Dan quickly grabbed Arin’s hand and with a smile said, “So… Wendy’s then?”

Arin couldn’t breathe.

They walked through the doors into his favorite fast food restaurant hand-in-hand, Arin’s heart thumping just a little too loud and his cheeks turning a brilliant pinkish hue. Dan must have been just as embarrassed as he was, noticing how quiet he had grown since they saw each other.

And then he remembered something.

Dan doesn’t eat fast food.

Shit.

“We don’t, uh…” Arin paused as Dan looked over at him, momentarily losing his train of thought as he was suddenly overwhelmed by his unintentional, ethereal beauty. “We don’t actually have to eat here. I know you don’t eat stuff like this.”

Dan shrugged, a playful smirk pulling at his lips. “I don’t mind. You fuckin’ love Wendy’s so let’s just eat here.”

Arin was still a little unsure, and he could tell that Dan was also nervous from the hand squeeze they shared. However, he decided that Dan knew his own boundaries; it wasn’t like he was going to get sick from eating one meal at Wendy’s. Of course, he remembered his months of doing paleo and how his stomach reacted to eating normal food afterward, how he spent two whole days feeling incredibly sick and overall miserable. Was he truly okay with Dan feeling like that?

It was too late; they arrived at the front of the line.

Dan ordered for them both, knowing Arin’s favorite meal because of how much he talks about it. There was something about Dan, about the way he walked or looked or spoke maybe, that always seemed to captivate whomever he was engaged with. The poor boy behind the register was struggling to ask his routine questions in Dan’s presence, which Arin thought was completely adorable.

As they turned to walk to their table, order number and all, Arin began to laugh quietly, trying not to draw the attention of the boy at the register.

“What’s so funny?” Dan asked, chuckling simply because of how joyful Arin seemed.

They sat down at a table, sitting directly across from each other. “That little boy couldn’t barely function once he saw you! It’s like you put a spell on people or some shit.”

Dan flipped his hair dramatically, then broke into a fit of giggles. “There’s just something about me that people…” he clicked his tongue, raising his eyebrows in a seductive manner, “…can’t resist.”

And that’s what did it for Arin; he was a blathering mess, his laughter ringing through the fast food joint. Dan couldn’t help but laugh along, knowing full-well how infectious his happiness was.

A few moments later, their food arrived.

Arin’s eyes were wide with excitement the minute he saw the waiter walking toward them, and Dan had to turn his head to hide a snicker. The young boy set down the tray of food, took the number, and was off to the kitchen before they had a chance to thank him, still obviously flustered from his previous interaction with Dan. The two exchanged a glance, giggling, then began eating.

Dan looked down at his food – a chicken Caesar salad – with a glint of fear in his eyes that Arin noticed almost immediately. He felt guilty, forcing Dan to eat food he wasn’t exactly comfortable eating at a fast food restaurant he hadn’t eaten at in years.

“Are you sure about this?” Arin asked, suddenly nervous.

Dan hummed dismissively, stabbing his fork into the salad and taking a bigger bite than he would have liked.

“Why didn’t you leave?” Dan asked, his mouth still full of food. “Didn’t you think this was a joke? That’s… kinda what I thought when I showed up.”

Arin shrugged, “I dunno. I just… Suzy seemed so excited to have the night alone, and I knew you were looking forward to the date… even if it did end up being with me…”

“Are you saying that you thought I was upset because you were my blind date? Because dude, that’s not the case at all,” Dan answered, scoffing once out of disbelief.

“Well I don’t fuckin’ know! You told me you weren’t into guys!” Arin shot back with a small smile, trying to mask the sudden excitement that invaded his body.

He didn’t respond right away, taking a moment to eat part of his meal and think over his response. “But Arin, you aren’t just any ordinary guy.”

Wow. Arin almost choked on his food. His eyes flew up to meet Dan’s, and he saw the overwhelming sincerity in his gaze. A flood of heat washed over Arin, and he was sure everyone saw how red his cheeks had gotten.

And he just covered his face, smiling behind his hands like an idiot.

“Are… you okay over there?” Dan asked, chuckling softly as he reached over and tapped Arin’s forearms lightly.

He groaned from behind his mask of fingers. “That was so gay…”

And the two of them roared with laughter.

—

Dan was uncharacteristically quiet… and his skin had a sickly pallor about it, a color that made Arin feel nauseous just to look at.

“Are… you gonna be okay? You don’t look so hot,” Arin commented off-handedly, trying his hardest to focus on the road in front of him.

“Y-yeah, my stomach is just… it’s fine, never mind,” he answered, his voice a little higher than normal.

Arin cleared his throat, “Well… okay. If you say so, I guess…”

He reached over, entwining their fingers together. Arin noticed immediately that Dan’s hands were colder than usual, and quite clammy. His stomach twisted; he knew what was going to happen.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You… look like you’re gonna throw up,” Arin asked again, his voice cracking with the nervousness that coursed through his veins.

“Yeah, yeah… I’m…” Dan stopped, and Arin could almost see his stomach lurch; he definitely heard it.

“Dan?”

“Pull over right now.” His voice was harsh, and the words were rushed. The urgency in his voice gave Arin shivers.

When he looked over he saw Dan’s look of desperation, his whole expression screaming at Arin to listen, to pull the damn car off the road.

“Wh-what’s going on?” He stuttered, taking his hand from Dan’s and gripping the wheel, yanking it to the right, pulling off the road so quickly that the car began to rumble and shake.

Dan’s hand flew up to cover his mouth. “Oh my god, not that fast.”

“I’m sorry!” Arin nearly shouted, his own stomach starting to twist, fearful of what would happen once the car finally stopped.

In one fluid motion, Dan pushed out of the car collapsing onto his knees on the roadside. He reached back and pulled his hair into one hand as he began to wretch.

Arin jumped out of the car and ran around to Dan’s side, watching his whole body shudder, his eyes clenching tight as tears streamed down his face.

He let go of his hair and wrapped both arms around his stomach as he heaved, and Arin froze. He had never seen Dan like this before, seen him get physically ill like this. He rushed over, pulling Dan’s hair back and tying it into a ponytail right before everything Dan had consumed that day was displayed on the gravel before them.

Arin’s mind was overflowing; he shouldn’t have been so indifferent about the whole thing. He should have suggested they go to a fancy restaurant, or even just made dinner at home together. They could have gone to a movie. To a park. Anything would have been better than this.

Dan wept. And Arin wept for him.

—

“I’m so sorry.” They were sitting in the car in silence until that moment. Arin was looking out the window, trying to hide the tears that wouldn’t stop flowing from his eyes.

Dan just laughed. “Sorry for what, dude? I was the one who said Wendy’s was fine,” Dan replied, wrapping an arm around Arin’s shoulders.

Arin sniffled, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to stop his crying. “I should have just… I don’t know, called the date off. Now you’re sick and–”

“I’m not sick, Ar. I just… probably shouldn’t have eaten there.”

“I watched you throw up. You’re sick, Dan. I held back your hair and everything,” he retorted, leaning into Dan’s embrace just slightly, basking in his body heat.

“That doesn’t mean I’m sick, dude. It just means my stomach can’t handle fast food, even if it was just a salad,” he explained, squeezing his friend closer. “I’m kinda tired. You wanna watch a movie or some shit?”

He nodded, shifting the car into drive and moving back onto the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that he thought he might leave indents in the rubbery material. Guilt was swarming around in his stomach, buzzing through him like a caffeine high. He couldn’t even bring himself to look over at Dan, to face the man that he made ill with his selfish desires.

Arin sighed heavily as he turned into Dan’s driveway and parked the car. After turning off the car, he sat there in silence, trying to stop his hands from shaking, to stop his too-loud heartbeat from pounding in his ears.

“What’s going on, dude? You’re never this quiet,” Dan asked softly, reaching over to grab one of Arin’s clammy hands.

Arin, who had stopped crying, broke down again, turning and weeping into Dan’s chest. “I j-just feel so b-bad that I made you s-sick,” he sobbed against Dan’s t-shirt, leaving tear stains on the fabric.

Dan awkwardly maneuvered himself so that he could hug Arin while still restrained by a seatbelt. “Hey, hey… Ar, don’t cry dude.” He wasn’t quite sure what he could say to show that was still okay, that Arin hadn’t ruined their night.

They pulled away, both getting out of the car on their respective sides, and walked up to the door. Dan turned around, looking down at his feet before meeting Arin’s eyes, which were red and puffy from crying.

“You wanna come inside? I’ve got some movies and snacks… we could lay in bed and chill together,” Dan proposed, smiling sympathetically. “I’m… not in the mood for sexy fun-times…”

Arin snickered, “I mean… fuckin’, of course I wanna come in.”

Dan worked meticulously to open the door, his hands still shaking from how violently ill he had become, and Arin felt another pang of guilt, like a bullet to his chest. When they were both inside, the door closed and locked behind them, Arin felt out of place. This was the first time he’d been in Dan’s house since he remodeled, and so his surroundings were… unfamiliar. And he couldn’t find the lightswitch.

“I’m gonna go brush my teeth and freshen up,” Dan stated, flipping a switch that was to his right, illuminating the room around them. “If you want you can head to my bedroom and I’ll be there soon. There’s movies and shit in there, so just pick out whatever you wanna watch.”

Arin nodded and watched Dan walk off in a different direction. Arin slowly ascended the staircase up to the second floor, his legs moving too slow beneath him, feeling overall lethargic from his long period of crying. He could faintly hear the sound of Dan’s vibrating toothbrush buzzing from wherever the bathroom was.

Dan’s bedroom was small. It smelled like Old Spice and cinnamon, and there wasn’t a whole lot of decorations. There were various posters hanging on the walls, most of which were from old N/S/P tours, Sta/rbomb performances, and Game / Grumps / Live shows. It made Arin feel weirdly nostalgic, but it also made him feel proud that Dan cared enough to keep all that stuff. To hang it on his walls.

He laid down on Dan’s plush, unmade bed. He burrowed underneath the covers and inhaled deeply. Everything smelled like him. It made Arin blush; he was being so childish about this, acting like a teenager that had fallen head-over-heels for a dumb guy.

He giggled.

“Something funny?” a voice asked, and he threw the blankets off his head to see Dan smiling in the doorway, his hair framing his face like an angelic halo. Arin’s face grew warmer still.

“I just… can’t believe this is happening,” Arin replied, scooting over to one side to make room for Dan. “Like, we just went on a date.”

“We’re still on a date, technically,” Dan answered as he crawled under the covers next to Arin. “A really weird, gross date.”

Arin chuckled nervously, “Yeah… I’m sorry about that. We really should have just gone somewhere else. Even just… laying here next to you would have been better.”

Dan rested his head on Arin’s chest, wrapping an arm around his torso and hugging him closer. “Don’t worry about it. Next time, we won’t go to Wendy’s.”

Arin raised an eyebrow. “Next time?”

Dan raised his head to look up at Arin. “Yeah. Next time.”

“So… we’re like… dating?”

“Duh.”

Arin snuggled into Dan, wrapping him in a tight embrace. “Awesome.”


End file.
